Corn harvester



May 2951113923.

. M5656@ J. E. REECIE ET AL CORN HARVESTER l 'Filed Nov. 15. 1920 .4 sheets-shea 1 60h11. E .Reece n sa C.Reece INVENTOR May 2% D923. EAI-56,569

- J, E. EECE ET AL.

CORN HARVESTER Filed Nov. l5, 1920 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEY WITNESS 11,456,569 J. E. REECE ET Al.

CORN HARVESTER May'- 29; 1923.

INV ENTOR S To all v'who/m, t may concern.:L

Patented May 29, 1923.

`narran sra TE PATENT intatte rica "JOHNCE REECE AND ASA. C. REECE, OF BUTLER, TENNESSEE.

conn HARVESTER.

Application filed November 15, 1920. SeriaI No. 424,272,

a invention being to provide means for cutting the corn, conveying v the corn to a shocker trough, compressing the stalks in the trough into a shock to permit tying of the shock and finally depositing the shock I in an upright position on the ground.

Another object of theinvention is to vprovide `means for so forming the shock that the butts. of the stalks will be so arranged as to insure the shock remaining in upright position on the ground after being `deposited thereon.

f A still further object of the invention is to provide means for facilitating the dumping ofthe shock and the` releasing thereof frornthe` dumping means.

A further object vof the invention is to provide means for picking up stalks which have been blown down so that they `can be cut by the knife. y

" This invention also consists incertain other features of construction and in the combination and arrangement. of the several parts', to be hereinafter fully described, illustrated in the accompanying drawings Iand specifically pointed f yout in lthe appended claims. n f

In describing., our invention in detail, reference will be had to the accompanying drawings wherein like characters denote like or Corresponding parts throughout the sev.- eral views, and in which `Figurel is a plan view of an apparatus constructed in accordance with our invention. l

Figure 2 isfan elevation thereof. 'Figure 3 is asection `online 8`3 of Figure 1. y

Figure 4 is a perspective view of the 'channel side of' the apparatus.H

- -Figure 5 is a view of the end' gate of the shocker trough.l y

Figure 6-isan end'view of the shocker platformshowing thev arms inl raised position.- l i Figure 7 isla y sectional vview through the .through the shaft 10 and ygears l1.

shocker means showing the shock in position.

Figure 8 is an enlarged detail view of a portion of one of the shocker arms. i

In these views 1 indicates the frame -of the device which-is supported from the wheels 2. This frame supports the platform 3 which slopes downwardly towards the fronty of the machine froml its high Vhorizontal rear edge and the front part of the latform also slopes downwardly vtowards tlEfe righthand corner, where the knife 4 is located. y The front edge of the platform curves from the cutting meansto the left hand upper corner and this curved edge is` providedwith an upwardly extending ange 5.- n Upright walls 6 and 7 arelocated at the righthand side of the platform and these walls are spaced apart to forma channel 8, the inclined bottoni of which is formed by a partof the platform 3.- The knife 4 is situated at the front end of this inclinedv bottom. This knife is shown vas a rotary one with saw teeth and is driven' from the jack' shaft 9 The front ends of theV walls 6 and 7 Hare away from each other, as shownat 12,',so as to provide guiding means for guiding the stalks of corn to the knife and these parts may be provided with the guiding strips 13 at the front end for increasing lthe length of the guiding means. The extension 12`ofthe inner wall 7` is provided with' a sprinO 14 which is formedwith a horizont-ai part which directs the stalks .to the knife. An endless chain 15 is arranged at the. top of the outer wall, said chain being carried by the vsprockets 16 located on the upper ends of the vertical shafts 17, suitablyl-journaled in the frame and one of which is driven fronithe jack shaft 9` in yany suitable manner. This chain carries the fingers 18 for engaging the stalks and an idler 19 causes the inne'r'reach of the chain to travel parallel with the straight part of the channel and at an .angle adjacent 'the flaring extension 12 of the outer wall 6. Thus the .stalks of corn arevpic'ked up byl the fingers at the wide mouth of the channel and are directed'towards the knife and as the chain is driven faster than the machine is traveling the staikswill be bent by the fingers so that they willl be easily out by the knife and the cut stalks will be deposited into the channel by the fingers.

In order to pick up stalks thathave been knocked down wel providev ya 'short'endless chain 20 which is arranged above the inthe endless chain 15.

clinediupper edge lroi? the@ guiding strip 13 of theWall*6,f'this Cliain'being 'carried "the sprockets 2l carried by' shafts 22, one

of which is geared;1 to the front shaft-17 yof The lingers of this endless chain Will pick up the stalks :and

y' direct 'them to a point Where they will be f platform 3"'or the "passage ot `the stalks lower edge of Wall 7 is out aavaywto leave a s'p'ace 23 fbetwe'en '"saidi lower :edge 'and the lfronith'e hannel8;l The stalks' are carried froin the channel ,u'pthe platform by means of' "theA endless Y chain 24@ vwhich `is ,carried by 'theV sprocketg) kloc-ated on 'the f shafts 26 suitably mounted iI'1"tlie4 traine and one of which is from thejack shalt by the transmission nne'ans:y shovvn" generally; at 27. curved `track 28 is placed `Y`on' the platform afslight ldistance'gtrom itsj'curved edge' and Vv,thistraclryis concentric avith said curved 'i l "and l holds y*tlrefol'lrterfreach o'f the chain' vin an fthe" chainl passes through an,ol'jening 29 in the 'platforinjand passesA under-fthe" plat- -orin "anddip through .an opening;` a'- carriesfthengers 3l which project above vthe'f'track (and Fare" adapted vto' engage' thel staflks: inf .the channel vand 'carry them 'along Wiflththe chain'upth'e;platform. As'fwill he understood the butts'are engaged by' -this chain andthe tops vof the stalks Will be held by Yp'ivoted linger" 32' lWhichf'h-as one end Vvother end engaging, the upper edgyge 4ofthe platform/.The A@este the Ste-ue nso @e gage flan, 4"abutment1t Y 33 vvhich is' formed by :an 'extensionfoffthe rearpart of Wall' 6L "It will?'thusA besejenf that theI chain will! swing vent' 'the longitudinal niovement t the stalk asfvit isbeing swung"l around by v.the chain butjas' soon as 'the butt ot the stallreaches the upper-'edge othexplatfornithe finger ing upper peri ftheSi-umhus permitting at the rearfoithe eltfem. u

Thisshookert'rough 34: isfarjranged transversely, ,off` the Vrnaohine, l and Y' it consists of two `curved vvalls v which have' their bottornA edgesij 'spaced apart; toy receive, the `flat ishing'efdat one end to a part offthejframe as at'fandfat its 'upper .end are ,located the shocker:y arni's I SSv'Which. `arepivo`ted -at the iweryendsute "ihegrfamepeii which "forms part -offthep'latform or 'part 36. "These arms'are 'of curved shape, as lshovvm and -the trough -rolnfthe plat-form 8.

arms, and ties it.' "The platfforinlBG/i th Whenin i1,inoperative positionfiare'fl-Ocated belovvthe shocker"trough'y so' a'stonotfintertere with .the stalks ofvcorn dropping'into n Y l A kplat-k form 40 extends in rear of the trough and along;:tl1e end thereof which carries the arms so that an voperator may assist the feeding:o'thef-stallsxinto the trough from the platform 3 and aetuate the` different parts of the sli-other; T1

and tackle one Ablozk '45;' befingvperinanently connected to f afrbraoket- {iQyon oney armfand the other block 4:3 vbeinglfdetachablyl conf nected to av bracket `Y 441x011@ the v*other arm A bracket' 45 f lis j Carrie'd'fbythe Janin-@Bion which the block 4il is located andi-athis bracket 45 carries a Wedge pairtl-G 5v:orfxholdwhich i is' slidably niountedrfjyin'fsaidbraket and is adapted; to -'engagewtheFlower end of the bar l .21:7 -to `hol-df "thersamerv lin 'fthe'i bracket:

This' 'latch-ing" member 49' is iadaptedj tobe moved intoinoperative position to freev said bar 47 by means .of ,cable 50' :vvliicli1 'hasnits erator' standing onL the-fpla'tform *40.5 j.

When i a suloent` 'number-fioristalks' 3have been deposited in" the *sh'ockert'rough to v form a" shook 'the' operator v places the 'bar '47 in"l the bracketli/land engagesj'the same with the latchmeniberso thatsaidfbanwill fo squeeze"the:"stalks'f/together. l "Het "thenp Vfthe end loff'the cable around" tl'leihraoket 1' the armsv inthis position;*He then-passes a string. around; the vshock;adjacent"jithe en tilted,` by lmeans' hereinafterv described'to thi-ovv ,the shock'V "upright position `upon the ground. `The operator; then 'pulls upon cable 50 to move the'v latch"49ntoiopera.y

tive position-i lto releasejbarll? vThe'vuveigrzht of the shock Will 'throvvf'the lbar l outwardly andthe arms apart"i so .that the platformfo' canr be returned; to'"horizontalgpositio .and the shock `vvill be"'le"i:'t'y in 'upright position upon thearoundg j' I Y In order to hold thefjbutfts "ofith `forming` the/shock'improper p *sition @Qin-I lsure/the ``shook 'standing upniQhtfuponfthe lzground when thrown from'thgapparatus.

We, provide alzateL 51" for the hinjgd'jfe'nd loi platform 36.' This gate l's adjvustablyi'conneoted to actrame 52 by means otthe bolts'l'fky passing- `through' the frame fand havingthe balls 54 at their ends engaging the sockets 55 in the gate.l As shown in Figure 5 there are three of these bolts and these are so arranged that the position of the gate may be adjusted as desired. The ends of the gate are providedwith flanges 55 and the gate is of substantially concavo-convex. shape so that the bottom of the shock will have its center depressed as lshown in Figure 7. This will insure the shook remaining in upright position when deposited upon the ground. The frame 52 is of L-shape and is hinged to a part of the frame as shown at 56. A hand lever 57 is connected by link 58 with a projection 59 on said frame adjacent the hinge thereof, these parts beingso arranged that when the lever is operated the frame and the gate will be swung away from the platform 36 so as to not interfere with the tilting operation thereof. This hand lever may be provided with a pawl and ratchet for holding said lever with the gate in open and closed position or we may provide a latch 60 for engaging a part of the frame for holding the gate in operative position, said latch being controlled by the hand bar 6l which extends across the machine and has its handle located adjacent the platform 40.

The means for tilting the platform 36 comprises a cable 62 which has one end connected with the frame and its other end connected with a windlass 63, the cable passing over a guiding pulley 64. When the cable is wound upon the windlass it will be shortened and thus swing the platform upwardly to throw the shock thereon upon the ground.

From the above it will be clear that when the machine is moved across a field of corn, by horses or a tractor, the stalks of corn in a row will be guided to the knife by the spring 14 and the fingers of the endless chains. The stalks of corn after being severed by the knife will be deposited in the channel and the said stalks will be carried up the platform 3 by the fingers on chain 24. As the stalks are carried up the platform they will be turned, due to their butts being carried along by the chain and the tops being held by the finger 32 and the abutment 33, and when the top of the platform is reached the stalks will be extending transversely across the machine Aand will be deposited into the shocker trough. The stalks may be adjusted as they drop into the trough by the operator standing on platform 40, and when a sufficient number of stalks have been deposited into the shocker trough to make a shock, the machine is stopped the operator on platform 40 connects the two arms together by the block and tackles and by pulling upon the cable 4l squeezes the stalks by the arms so that he may tie the shock. vHe then swings the gate away from the platform 36 by means of the'lever and then rotates drum 63 tof/swing'the platform upwardly. Finally he pulls upon cable 50 to release bar t7 and the block 43 so that the weight of the shock 4will cause the arms to open and thus pertion that the advantages and novel featuresv of our invention will be readily apparent.

We desire it to be understood that we may make changes in the construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, provided that such changes fall within the scope of the appended claims.

What we claim is:

l. A corn harvester comprising a frame, cutting means at the front end of said frame, shocker means at the rear end of the frame and means for carrying thel stalks of corn from the cutting means to the shocker means and turning them at right angles as they travel along, said means including an inclined platform, a traveling member moving in a curved path on the platform for engaging the butts of the stalks and means at the top of the platform for engaging the tops of the stalks for preventing longitudinal movement of the stalks.

2. A corn harvester comprising a frame, cutting means at the front end of said frame, shocker means at the rear end of the frame and means for carrying the stalks of corn from the cutting means 'to the shocker means and turning them at right angles as they travel along, said means including a traveling member for engaging the butts of the stalks, an abutment against which t'he tops of the stalks bear and a pivoted finger also engaging the tops of the stalks.

3. A corn harvester comprising a frame, cutting means at the front end of the frame, a shocker trough transversely arranged at the rear of the machine, an inclined platform, a lchannel part for receiving the stalks from the cutting means, said channel part having a space formed between the bottom edge of its inner wall and the platform, conveying means on the platform for taking the stalks from the channel part to the shocker trough and turning said stalks at right angles as they travel along.

4;. A corn harvester comprising a frame, cutting means at one end thereof, a shocker trough at the other end, a channel part formed with `upright walls, the cutting means being located at the front end of said channel part, fiaring extensions at the front ends of said walls forming a mouth for the the other side( of the. mouth foi: bringing-,theq

stalks againstfthe: cutting means; Y mans' for;

ingineans4 foirconVe-ying the stalks from the channel to che shocker. 1 I

5. A corn harvester? comprising;aaarne;

10' Cutting. means at one endnthereo'fga shokerfl mov-ing. some of said iingersx horizontally aindj some of therotheisiona-n 4incliner-and convey-` thefgate Ato vSaid lffr'aune,v anduneansf-fotgvdefg L5 Z positingfthe;shoclcupongthjeground. i 1 

